Sintra Travel Guide

by our Portugal expert Conrad Freethy

For long a truly royal city, Sintra almost fringes Lisbon, barely 30 minutes by local train from several of the capital’s stations. The history has provided an abundance of architectural monuments including, most notably, the royal Sintra National Palace, the flamboyant Palácio de Pena, based on a Moorish foundation, the Monserrate Palace, easily the most exotic and reminiscent of an Indian Moghul Taj, and the still standing ‘other’ Moorish fort which overlooks the town from its hill site. A pleasant climate, attractive surrounding countryside, and well-designed avenues and buildings clearly show why the town drew wealth and nobility from both Portugal and the rest of Europe and is now a well-deserved UNESCO site.